Computational Neuroscience at UMB, Ås
Workshop in Computational Systems Biology: Models, Methods, Meaning
The Research School for Systems Biology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) is pleased to invite you to a one-day workshop
Computational Systems Biology: Models, Methods, Meaning
to be held
Tuesday 15 June 2010 at UMB at Ås
Topic
Modeling and simulation are essential tools in systems biology and many other branches of science. This workshop is an invitation to step back from the day-to-day struggle with our simulations and to reflect about the nature of modeling and its relation to simulation: How do modeling and simulation contribute to the development of knowledge? Is a simulation per se a valid scientific experiment?
Five scientists with quite different backgrounds have agreed to lecture on different aspects of modeling and simulation, ranging from the theory of science to the reproducibility of simulation experiments:
- Dr Rani Anjum, Center for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo
- Dr Marc-Oliver Gewaltig, Honda Research Institute Europe
- Prof Peter Hunter, Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland
- Dr Eilen Nordlie, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
- Dr Patrick Vandewalle, Philips Research
Program
| 0916 | Scheduled train arrival at Ås |
| 0930 | Coffee and registration |
| 0945 | Opening remarks (Hans Ekkehard Plesser) |
| 0950 | What can neuroscience learn from modeling and simulation? (Marc-OIiver Gewaltig) |
| 1100 | Reproducable descriptions of neurobiological models (Eilen Nordlie) |
| 1215 | Lunch |
| 1300 | Reproducible research: making your experiments repeatable by yourself and others (Patrick Vandewalle) |
| 1415 | Modeling causes as vectors (Rani Anjum) |
| 1530 | Coffee break |
| 1600 | The VPH/Physiome Project: progress and challenges (Peter Hunter) |
| 1700 | Plenary discussion |
| 1800 | End of workshop |
| 1834 | Scheduled train departure from Ås |
Lectures will be approximately 60 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. At the end of the day, we will have an open discussion among lecturers and participants.
Location
Sørhellinga, Høgskoleveien 12, SU102 (Sørhellinga is no. 55 on this map ( see also this map of Ås). It is approximately a 15 minute walk from the Ås train station.
Registration
If you would like to participate, please send a short email with subject "Models, Methods, Meaning" to
hans.ekkehard.plesser@umb.no by Monday 7 June 2010.
Participation is free of charge.
This workshop is funded by FUGE Øst.
Speakers
Dr Rani Anjum
Rani Lill Anjum is Dr. Art. in philosophy. Recently Anjum ended a 3 year research project on causation and dispositions at University of Tromsø and Nottingham. She is now Visiting Scholar at CSMN - Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo.
Dr Marc-Oliver Gewaltig
Dr. Marc-Oliver Gewaltig studied Physics and Computational Neuroscience at the Universities Bochum and Freiburg. After his dissertation in 1999 he joined Honda R&D Europe GmbH as Senior Scientist. In 2003, Marc-Oliver Gewaltig was appointed Principal Scientist and Project Leader of the newly founded Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH in Offenbach, Germany. His research focuses on information processing in the visual cortex of mammals in general and on spike-based processing in columnar cortical architectures in particular. His second research focus is on efficient algorithms and methods for the simulation of large neuronal systems. In 2001, he co-founded the NEST Initiative, a contract based collaboration to further our understanding of neural simulation technology.
Prof Peter Hunter
Peter Hunter holds engineering degrees from Auckland University and a PhD in Physiology from Oxford University. He is currently a Professor of Engineering Science and Director of the Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, and co-Director of Computational Physiology at Oxford University. As the current co-Chair of the Physiome Committee of the International Union of Physiological Sciences and a founding member of the European VPH Network of Excellence, he is helping to lead the international VPH/Physiome Project which aims to use computational methods for understanding the integrated physiological function of the body in terms of the structure and function of tissues, cells and proteins.
Dr Eilen Nordlie
Eilen Nordlie obtained a Master in Applied Mathematics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in May 2005, and a PhD in Computational Neuroscience in December 2009 at the same university. One part of the PhD was devoted to the investigation of how scientists describes their models in publications, and suggesting a way of describing and illustrating neuronal network models in publications. Of interest is also rate models of the early visual pathway.
Dr Patrick Vandewalle
Patrick Vandewalle received his M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 2001, and his Ph.D. degree from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in 2006. Since September 2007, he is a Senior Scientist at Philips Research, The Netherlands, where he is working on 3D imaging. His research interests are in signal and image processing, and in the area of reproducible research.
